Dog vs. Dog: Battling to emerge from SEC’s loser’s bracket
Russ may be the interim mascot, but he's still going to be top dog in Starkville. (University of Georgia)
A coworker came up to me this week and said, “Mississippi State a favorite over Georgia? Really!!??”
OK, so it’s only a 1-point spread, which basically means a toss-up, but yeah, as Georgia prepares to enter Davis Wade Stadium at Scott Field in Starkville Saturday night for one of those rare SEC battles of the Bulldogs, there’s no denying it: Things have gotten ugly. It’s a match between the only two teams in the conference to both have two conference losses already, battling to keep from being declared irrelevant in their division race before September is even over.
Still, I’m always up for a little good-natured smack talk, so I asked my friend Harvey, the only Mississippi State grad I know, for his take on this week’s game.
As Harvey noted, since the two schools don’t play all that often, “there isn’t the kind of venom” between the two fan bases that you get with a division rivalry. But we’ve got that whole who-are-the-real-Bulldogs thing going. Although bulldogs have been part of MSU’s tradition since early in the 20th century, the bulldog didn’t become the school’s official mascot until 1961. Before that they were the Maroons. (My high school team also was formerly known as the Maroons but switched to the Trojans. Seems no one wants to be called a Maroon.)
Bully, the MSU mascot, better get ready for Russ marking his territory at Davis Wade Stadium. (Mississippi State University)
I asked Harvey how it felt to be the “other” Bulldogs in the SEC.
His reply: “Actually there are no other Bulldogs other than MSU. To this day, when I hear Bulldogs I don’t think of UGA first. It’s like Carolina trying to call themselves USC. Any true SEC fan knows there’s only one group of Bulldogs and they where the maroon and white. Gooooooo Dawgs, Sic ’em!”
Aren’t delusional college football fans fun?
As for the game itself, Harvey first tried to blind me with science by predicting, “We’re going to win because I predicted after looking at the schedule we’d be 2-2 after facing Memphis, Auburn, LSU and Georgia, and Georgia is our last hope to make that prediction come true.”
Yeah, well,my preseason prediction for Mark Richt’s Dawgs was 10-2, and so there’s no margin for error left on our side, either.
Anyway, Harvey continued with a summation of where the Maroon Bulldogs stand: “Even though our record may not see improvements this season, the team is a much better team, veteran O-line, one of the best young defensive coordinators in the country and even though they’ve struggled, the QBs are the best we’ve been a that position in the last 6-8 years. The atmosphere is going to be wild. The game sold out about 2 weeks ago and the cowbells will rule.”
It’s not all blue skies, though, for MSU fans. “Quarterback is the biggest worry,” Harvey said. “Five interceptions last week. The best thrower is a redshirt freshman and the starter can’t throw that well especially down the middle of the field. They don’t turn the ball over, we win. Dogs 24, UGA 16.”
Sorry, Harvey, but I think that score’s more likely to be flipped. True, MSU has a pretty stout secondary, but they’re susceptible up the middle, Georgia’s getting Caleb King back and the UGA offensive line is overdue to finally put it all together. Plus, State has only gotten four sacks so far this season, so Aaron Murray’s likely to be able to stay upright and with his helmet on.
I will admit the prospect of Todd Grantham’s unpredictable troops facing Dan Mullen’s spread option offense worries me a tad, especially when Chris Relf, the running quarterback, is taking the snaps. But they don’t have a big, punishing tailback, MSU’s offensive line also has been disappointing so far, and they don’t have much of a downfield passing attack, so Georgia can pretty well load up the box to stop the run. And then things can get interesting, as both Relf and State’s other QB, Tyler Russell, have shown a propensity for throwing picks. Georgia has the decided edge in special teams, too.
So when the last cowbell has clanged Saturday night, I think the true and proper Bulldogs will be victorious.
Over a bunch of Maroons.
Woof woof!
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176 comments Add your comment
bdawg
September 24th, 2010
5:25 pm
How in the world can you be a straight male from georgia and pull for Tech…lol
1eyedJack
September 24th, 2010
5:29 pm
bdawg, the secret is to be from Asia or the Middle East or just out from under Mama’s apron strings.
1eyedJack
September 24th, 2010
5:31 pm
There must be a lot of lost cows in Starkeville.
mark twain
September 24th, 2010
5:34 pm
well while going down the mississippi i saw on tv where they just arrested two GA TECH PROFS for fraud, OH MY, could this be true. also did you know you can now MAJOR IN VIDEO GAMES at tech, OH MY. when will these tech people ever learn to keep their mouths shut. now let me fix a mint julip to celebrate those arrests.
Hartsfield
September 24th, 2010
5:46 pm
Just one example of how stupid dawgtard fans are:
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2002/03/06/national/main503151.shtml
59bulldawg
September 24th, 2010
6:34 pm
Here’s one definition. Maroons were runaway slaves who lived in hard to access places like swamps and islands and jungles in slave societies during the 17th-19th centuries. Places such as the Hispaniola and Jamaica in the Caribbean, and Brazil, Guyana, and Surinam in South America. In this country they were sometimes found along the swampy lowland areas of Georgia and South Carolina, the Dismal Swamp in Virginia,and in Florida when that territory was owned by the Spanish. They were probably also in the swampy low areas of Mississippi and Louisisana. They were cunning, hard to find, and extremely dangerous to anyone who threatened them. Just finished reading a book that documents maroons in South Carolina. Don’t know if this is the intentional meaning for Mississippi State but it’s one meaning. Now back to football!
Ralph
September 24th, 2010
6:38 pm
Just the opposite from what the, obviously very inexperienced writer said, Richt is probably the best coach in UGA history. I loved Dooley but Dooley is no match for Richt. Richt will retire from GA with lots of SEC championships under his belt and a few NC’s as well. Dawgs 24, Dogs 17.
NOBODYYOUKNOW
September 24th, 2010
6:41 pm
UGA has far more talent than Miss. State. They SHOULD be able to win this one. We shall see.
Vance Duuley
September 24th, 2010
7:10 pm
UGA fans gotta learn their place in college football.
With a nickname “The Cesspool of the South,” I think they know their place.
Teresa
September 24th, 2010
7:13 pm
Ralph has had waaaay too much of the Kool-Aid.
Saint Marco
September 24th, 2010
7:14 pm
In the 1986 Jan Kemp trial, O. Hale Almand Jr., a lawyer for UGA, offered a justification for the favorable treatment accorded the athletes, citing a hypothetical player. “We may not make a university student out of him,” he told the jury, “but if we can teach him to read and write, maybe he can work at the post office rather than as a garbageman when he gets through with his athletic career.”
That trial exposed UGA for the football factory that it was, and exposed Vince Dooley as a fraud and a sleazebag. It also derailed Dooley’s plans for a political career. That’s why we see the decrepit old fraud doing TV commercials even now.
Mark Richt is just the latest in a line of sleazy UGA coaches who coddle athletes and discard them after four years of football. He recruits illiterate morons he knows aren’t smart enough for college, but he doesn’t care, as long as they help him line his pockets with millions of dollars each year.
Suntanned Saint Mark isn’t all he appears to be, is he?
Ralph
September 24th, 2010
7:24 pm
Teresa, no cool aid. 49 years of knowing UGA football leads me to my conclusion. The UGA administration is solidly behind Richt. #1 He represents the University well. Not a liar like many big time coaches. #2. He is a fantastic coach. Amazing SEC record in 10 years and road record as well. Team has had a tough couple of years but that is normal in any program. Look at VT this year. They will not be firing ole Beamer. Richt is one of the best coaches in the nation. My opinion is that he needs to call all of the plays though. So all you Richt haters–get used to it. CMR is here to stay.
edumacated
September 24th, 2010
8:00 pm
Ralph, I agree that Richt WAS a great coach. He sure got off to a great start winning a lot of big games and a couple of SEC titles. The last 3-4 years, have not been anything to brag about. UGA has lost to teams like Vandy and Kentucky ( when was the last time Florida lost to Kentucky or Vandy?) as well as lost almost all marque games. If you think that Richt can continue to lose to Florida every year and hang around, I suggest you look up Coach John Cooper from Ohio State and see how he was treated after losing to Michigan year after year.
By the way, if Richt loses to Kentucky for a second strait year, nothing else he does will help.
Mark
September 24th, 2010
8:13 pm
Georgia’s hopes fading in the East if they don’t win this game. Really, Bill? Georgia is not going to win the East this year so let’s move on right now and concentrate on becoming a better team. This year is now about next year so whatever that means to the coaching staff in terms of preparing players do it now. I’ve got a better chance of becoming president than Georgia does of winning the East. Not a hater just reality check.
BeerDawg
September 24th, 2010
8:16 pm
Ralph, are you Richt’s mother in disguise? He’s had a .500 SEC record since ‘05. He’s been here 10 yrs and hasn’t sniffed a NC. And you think he’ll have “several” before he retires? His players have had more arrests than FLORIDA for criminysakes!
Get Harbaugh or Petersen from Boise. Do NOT get Smart or Muschamp! Make a bold change McGaritty, or we’ll be battling MSU for the conference cellar title for years to come…
Ralph
September 24th, 2010
8:59 pm
No one with knowledge of UGA football wants Harbaugh or Petersen. Perhaps you did not understand. The folks who hire and fire are solidly behind Richt regardless of this year’s record. One more time…Richt is the UGA coach for the next 10 years. Richt has one of the best (maybe the best) road percentage of any coach in the nation and has an outstanding bowl record. There is no argument to be made that stands up against Richt’s record, character and representation of UGA. Richt is here to stay. Not sure about Bobo and doubt TG will stick around long–seems to be a mover and the DB coach–don’t think he will stick around the south very long either. Richt is our coach. You can take that to the bank. He will not be fired this year or anytime soon.
Ralph
September 24th, 2010
8:59 pm
My only plea to CMR is PLEASE call the plays.
edumacated
September 24th, 2010
9:22 pm
Ralph, a great road percentage doesn’t mean a whole lot when you let Bama score 31 on you in the first half at home. Why did they score so much? Yeah, the defense reeked, but the offense could not score either, and there is no excuse for that. Richt had the best QB and RB in college football that year and he wasted it.
You are wrong. Richt will be gone either next year or the year after. Mark it down.
Mobile Dawg
September 24th, 2010
9:35 pm
Ralph is related to RIp Van Winkle obviously. And he just woke up from 5 years of sleep.
BeerDawg
September 24th, 2010
9:41 pm
Educamated, don’t bother with Ralph. He’s a member of the delusional Richt fans who think you can do the same thing over and over and get a different result.
Richt’s current contract expires in 2013 at roughly $2 mill/year. A subpar season is a given for this year, and again likely for next year. Two subpar season in the SEC got Fulmer and Tuberville fired. It will happen with Richt. I’m sorry, but the fan base of THE MOST profitable NCAA football program will not tolerate it. The question is, will the administration be proactive in replacing a coach whose glory days are behind him rather than reactive and wait until he runs this program into the ground. That’s where McGarrity comes in……one can only hope.
Ralph
September 24th, 2010
9:50 pm
Beer Dawg, you have had too many beers. You would have to be drunk to fire Richt. Fulmer nor Tuberville are in the same category as Richt to begin with. You are a typical fan–team has a few bad years and its time to fire everyone in sight. Guarantee VT will not fire Beamer nor will UGA fire Richt before his contract is up and then they will likely renew it. You are having a tough time with this news my friend–but Richt is at UGA for a long long time.
Ewok Killer
September 24th, 2010
9:54 pm
Miss State will OWN the mutts tomorrow night
BeerDawg
September 24th, 2010
10:01 pm
Ralph, while I admire your loyalty, it is to a fault. We will agree to disagree about Richt. Being patient for 5 years is enough. He underachieved with Stafford, Moreno, Massaquoi. His coaching is suspect. His players have no discipline on or off the field.
Mark my words, another bad season next year, he’ll be doing full time missionary work (not that there’s anything wrong with that…)
BeerDawg
September 24th, 2010
10:02 pm
Ralph, “Fulmer nor Tuberville are in the same category as Richt to begin with. You are a typical fan–team has a few bad years and its time to fire everyone in sight’
btw, Fulmer won a NC, Tuberville went undefeated in the SEC, has Richt done either?
dawgs01
September 24th, 2010
10:05 pm
The O-line is not overdue. All of the blind bulldog fans thought we had this great line but there reason we ran the ball so well the last five games of last season had nothing to do with our running backs or our o line it was due to the fact we were playing horrible defenses all of them ranking 90th or worse on total defense. We will struggle running the ball against a very tough D-Line. Murray can win us the game with his legs and his arm but it is up to our Offensive Coordinator to make some good calls. We can pass on them but running on them is going to be tough we are going to have to pass to set up the run. I love the GA bulldogs with all my heart but i am sick of the excuses like to many injured, to young, our best player is out. Every yr it is one excuse or the other. Guess what all college teams lose players to graduation and the NFL so all teams are young plus nowadays freshman and sophomores are taking over teams so we are young is just an excuse for someone who cant coach very well in my opinion. We are injured well guess what every team has injuries it is football how about we coach up the younger guy. Our best player is injured well lets see Bama’s heisman trophy winner and their best defensive player missed the first two games and they beat the hell out of a penn state team that UGA probably could not beat. Our players are not getting better after high school we should be in the top 15 every yr but you still have to coach these kids and i am sorry but something in Athens is not working and Mark needs to do something. I think Bobo, Searels, and the Strength and Conditioning and the Running backs coach need to go
Mobile Dawg
September 24th, 2010
10:06 pm
Beer Dawg, in reference to Ralph, “you can’t remove with logic what logic didn’t put there in the first place”.
BeerDawg
September 24th, 2010
10:07 pm
And yes Ralph, I am a fan. I love my beloved Bulldogs too much to let a bunch of old, decrepit, back slappin good ‘ol boys to ruin the potential of this football program
BeerDawg
September 24th, 2010
10:11 pm
dawgs01, you’re right. Oh how far Georgia football has fallen where we are wondering what we could do to “squeak by” mighty Miss St. Pathetic……Just be glad we’re not playing Alabama this year. Could you imagine what Saban would do to us, compared to what he did to us 2 years ago when we had all those NFL stars???
edumacated
September 24th, 2010
10:13 pm
BeerDawg, I’m glad to find someone else out there who isn’t smoking crack.
Ralph, you really need to sit down and look at the results that Richt has produced over the last 5 years. If this guy was working any run of the mill job out there, where current performance matters, he would be in the supervisors office getting ultimatums. I suspect that McGarrity will not waste time, because his performance is under scrutiny as well. Richt needs to right the ship. I hope he does..
BeerDawg
September 24th, 2010
10:22 pm
My first hint of Richt lack of judgement and coaching discipline was in ‘07 when he finally beat Florida and Meyer. Somewhat lost in the euphoria of that game was Richt decision to send the whole team to celebrate in the end zone after the first touchdown. Football is about discipline and fundamentals, what kind of message does that send to the team? Not only is it totally classless, it further encourages the chest-thumpin, look-at-me shenanigans that many UGA players exhibit after any ROUTINE play.
Say what you will about Saban, but you rarely see his players exhibit that type of behaviour on the field. I guess that’s why Saban has 2 NC’s and Richt has none.
edumacated
September 24th, 2010
10:29 pm
I gotta admit that at the time, I thought that the end zone celebration what a good thing to break them out of the Florida funk. I wanted any thing to beat those creeps. In hind site, it WAS classless, and Meyer paid Richt back in spades.
BeerDawg
September 24th, 2010
10:34 pm
Edumacated, yes it did seem cool at the time. But if those kinds of antics are required to get your team up to play your biggest rival, what does it say about your coaching and motivational skills? Makes you wonder.
And no, I’m not piling up on him as a person. He appears to be a good, if not a great, man. He’s just not turned out to be the kind of championship type coach we were hoping for.
Pago Pago Dawg
September 24th, 2010
11:12 pm
We think we should put June Jones on the coaching list. He does have a fun and interesting offense.
Paul's Johnson
September 24th, 2010
11:16 pm
Maroons 38- Red, Black ‘n Blues- 14. Up and coming coach gets signature win; established but threatened coaching regime gets schooled again.
Ed
September 24th, 2010
11:39 pm
It’s hard to dislike a team that calls itself the Bulldogs (especially when they don’t beat you up on a yearly basis), but when you hear that mascot name in the SEC, no one thinks of Mississippi State.
I got this feeling that the other Dogs are going to nick ours in a close one, 17-16. Georgia as much talent as anyone in the conference, maybe even the nation, but has an absolutely incompetent coaching staff, with the possible exception of Grantham.
col fot
September 24th, 2010
11:42 pm
Hey Red!
Your forgetting one thing, Georgia is still reigning ACC champions, remember we handed your @sses to you last November…don’t forget that!
Old Dawg
September 24th, 2010
11:49 pm
Saint Marco: As you mentioned, the trial was 1986. Reagan was president then. The Berlin Wall was still up. Things have changed since then. Geez, get a freaking life … Mamie Eisenhower’s died in the years since 1986, and she was immortal.
AFDawg
September 25th, 2010
1:12 am
Gator 17-3, Speaking of an hosest fan — why don’t you own up to everyone hat the only reason a Gator fan is trolling our blog is because you are actually a Tech imposter.
MST8DAWGNGA
September 25th, 2010
6:26 am
Look even the MSU Bulldogs Looks better that the UGA dog, Uniforms are prettier, atmosphere will be better than in Athens, Looks Like a win for the Maroons, or the Whites, Oh Yeah wait till you see the split in Maroon and White in the stadium MSU 24 UGA 20
Harry the Hat
September 25th, 2010
7:41 am
You non-alumni, non-contributing, non-ticket holding sidewalk fans are really funny. The replacements you are suggesting for Richt are unreal. Georgia has never hired a coach with head coaching experience.
June Jones, a strong Christian who spoke at many groups while in Atlanta, joining with Adams and McGarity. Never happen. Harbaugh could possibly leave for a strong, well run program. Never a thug operation.
You people keep entertaining us with your wild thoughts that no one in authority will ever listen to.
mark twain
September 25th, 2010
8:07 am
well i am docking my riverboat in starksville after a long journey down the nile, at least my hs won 37-7, so at least PACE ACADEMY is unbeaten, i wish the DAWGS were but REMEMBER every dawg has his day. now let me fix my first MINT JULIP to get game ready.
Gatorbait 17-3
September 25th, 2010
8:30 am
Sorry you are wrong, but if the AF stands for Air Force, I will never argue with our service men and
women. I just repect what they do for our country too much. Go Air Force!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
edumacated
September 25th, 2010
9:27 am
@ Harry the Hat,
“Georgia has never hired a coach with head coaching experience”
You forgot that Jim Donnan was head coach at Marshall you nimrod.
kydawg
September 25th, 2010
9:47 am
Any true SEC fan knows there’s only one group of Bulldogs and they where the maroon and white. I think “where” should be “wear”…hello?
dagnabit
September 25th, 2010
9:58 am
Edumacated. You live up to the second syllable of your name.
edumacated
September 25th, 2010
10:23 am
dagnabit,
That the best you got? My screen name is a play on words for being stupid, and you tell me that the second syllable means I’m dumb. How long did it take you to come up with that one? All night?
Dirty Dawg
September 25th, 2010
10:25 am
I don’t know who the ‘firemarkricht’ people are – alums, non-alums, trolls, whomever – but we’re gonna have, proudly, Mark Richt as our head football coach until ‘he’ decides that he’s had enough of puttin’ up with our s**t and packs his whole family up and heads to Central America for a permanent ‘mission trip’…and who could blame him, at least he’d be doing stuff for people that appreciate it…all of ‘em would appreciate it.
As for tonight’s game, we very well could make it 0-3 in the Conference and the season headed into the crapper like we haven’t seen in fifty years…and if it happens we can thank young Mr. Green and whoever knew that he was selling stuff that he knew, and they knew, he shouldn’t have. These first two losses could have gone our way with a play or two from ‘the best WR in the country’, which we all know could have, and likely would have happened. Without him we lost and may lose again tonight. Seems to me the NCAA should weigh the impact of their penalty on the program and give Georgia a ‘pass’ for the next twenty years.
Beast from the East
September 25th, 2010
10:29 am
Dirty Dawg,
Why be angry at the NCAA? Green broke the rules and he put his eligibility into question KNOWINGLY when he did. It’s his fault, not the NCAA’s. Those rules were put on the books because of the UGA players that sold their SEC rings after the 2002 season. It’s absurd to even think that any player for UGA was not informed of that every year since. That being said, UGA should not lose today. Better at almost every position. If they do lose, then that is squarely on the coaches.
History Rules
September 25th, 2010
11:18 am
I wonder if any of the books about UGA football include the perspective of someone speaking for the late Jan Kemp? The perspective that “student” athletes like Lindsay Scott were playing years without taking college level courses? That the proudest moment of the football program was earned by players who never earned a single college credit?
Dawgtards love to return to 1980, but their memories are really short when it comes to remembering an earthshaking event that happened a few years later that showed the world what a joke UGA athletes were and what a scam artist their beloved Vince Dooley was (and is). So for all those dawgtards with short memories or who think their athletes are actually taking real courses and trying to graduate, here’s the quote that broke the trial wide open and showed what a slimeball Dooley is:
O. Hale Almand Jr., a lawyer for the defense, offered a justification for the favorable treatment accorded the athletes, citing a hypothetical player. “We may not make a university student out of him,” he told the jury, “but if we can teach him to read and write, maybe he can work at the post office rather than as a garbageman when he gets through with his athletic career.”
Nothing has changed at UGA, they just do a slightly better job of keeping things quiet, but that’s hard to do when 45 of your player-thugs have been arrested, isn’t it?
UGA: WINNER OF THE FULMER/RICHT CUP AND THE CESSPOOL OF THE SOUTH.
1eyedJack
September 25th, 2010
11:24 am
I admit that I fall into the “old fart” and “blind homer” category and wear those mantles proudly. As the previously poster stated there should be no doubt Georgia should win this game. If they don’t this is “the first” loss that should be pinned on the coaching staff entirely. You cannot underestimate the impact that the AJ suspension has had on this “team”.